Before excavations began at the Graham-Applegate site
in the summer of 1998, there was little evidence that the remains
of a prehistoric encampment were buried only a few inches beneath
the ground surface. A year earlier, the Llano Uplift Archeological
Society had conducted a survey of the area at the request of the
landowner, Charlotte Graham, and found only a few flint flakes.
Since the soils at the site are shallow, it was felt at the time
that if anything of archeological significance existed there, more
artifacts or features would be visible on the surface. Reinforcing
the idea that little would be found there was the fact that no permanent
water flows in the immediate area today. The closest reliable source
of water is the Llano River, a half-mile to the west over rough
terrain.

Early in 1998, the chance discovery by Ms. Graham
of a half-dozen flint arrow points protruding from the backdirt
piles of gopher holes provided the first real hints that something
archeologically important might be buried there. All the arrow points
were of the same type or "style" suggesting that only
a single cultural group may have camped there. If so, it seemed
the site could well be a time capsule containing information about
life in central Texas at a particular period in the prehistoric
past. In this case, the style of point was known to have been used
between A.D. 700 and A.D. 1350, during what archeologists call the
Austin Phase.

Recognizing the site's potential importance, the Llano
Uplift Archeological Society (LUAS) made the decision to undertake
investigations at the site. Initially, the research plan was to
excavate large areas where the arrow points were found and where
it seemed the most intensive activity took place in prehistoric
times. Our hope was that living surfaces would be exposed, perhaps
even the remains of shelters or areas where specific activities,
stone-tool making for example, took place. The shallow soils were
ideal for a broad horizontal excavation (opening up large areas)
since the hoped-for living surface could be reached quickly. At
sites with deep archeological deposits, such as those on river terraces,
excavated areas often are small due to the large volume of soil
that must be removed. At the beginning of the investigations, we
also hoped to recover a discrete (unmixed) assemblage of the kinds
of stone tools used by people during the Austin phase. Few open
campsites of this period have been investigated that do not also
contain artifacts from earlier and later aboriginal cultures, mixed
in with those of the Austin phase.

A 4-x-6-meter (16.7-x-20-foot) area was initially
excavated down to a depth of 25 centimeters (10 inches), revealing
two small hearths to one side of an extensive refuse scatter of
burned rock, mussel shells, and stone tools. Large numbers of flint
flakes, along with cores and unfinished bifaces indicated that stone-tool
making took place there. Three obsidian flakes also were found in
this "lithic workshop" area. In the fall of 1998, LUAS
obtained permission to do test excavations of the adjacent Applegate
property that lies immediately to the north of where we were working.
It was assumed at the time that the remains of the Austin phase
occupation continued onto this property, although almost no artifacts
were noticed in the gopher mounds that also dotted the surface of
the Applegate land.

Hidden Midden Exposed

At this point, we wanted to know not only how far
the site extended to the north, but also the nature of the aboriginal
occupation there: Would we still find the same kinds of artifacts
and features? Would they date to the Austin phase or was this area
occupied by earlier or later cultures? A series of 1-x-2-meter (
3.3-x-6.7-foot) test pits was excavated at widely spaced intervals
to the north and then to the east and west on the Applegate property
in an attempt to answer these questions. These excavations showed
that the Austin phase occupation continued at least 50 meters (167
feet) to the north with scattered hearths and stone tools although
the amount of flint chipping debris decreased considerably. One
of the test pits near the edge of a deeply cut arroyo that borders
the west side of the site revealed what was at first thought to
be an unusually large and elongated stone hearth. To better record
this feature, adjacent units were excavated, and to our surprise,
other stone features began to emerge. Only after an 2-x-5-meter
(6.7-x-13.4-foot) area was opened up, however, did it become apparent
that these rock features were related. Collectively they appeared to form
the walls and central hearth of a large circular structure that
was eventually designated "House 1." The finding of an apparent house
was big newsit had been several decades since the last house
remains had been found in central Texas. Archeologists from the
Lower Colorado River Authority, TARL, and the Texas Historical Commission
visited the site and offered opinions and encouragement.

With the discovery and excavation of the first "house,"
our research plan was changed to actively seek out additional house-like features at the site. Since there were no clues on the surface to lead us
to them, the only sure way of finding similar features was to cover as
much of the site as possible with test units. This strategy initially
failed to find additional "houses" but did lead to the discovery of
a burned rock midden. Typically, burned rock middens are conspicuous
features littered with fire-cracked rocks and often forming an obvious
mound. But we only became aware of the one at Graham/Applegate through
a randomly placed test pit which revealed an area of tightly packed,
burned granite rocks with dark, charcoal-stained soil only inches
below the surface. The midden had been all but invisible since it
blended with the natural contours of the land and was hidden by
dense brush and leaf litter near the edge of the arroyo only 15
m (50 ft) south of House 1.

Over the next several months, the thin layer of soil
and fallen leaves was carefully stripped away to expose the surface
of the midden. It consisted of a low circular mound of burned granite
rocks with a center of dark, charcoal-stained soil, presumably where
the earth oven or ovens were located. The soils in the site area
are a light tan color with little organic material, and the dark
staining in the midden stands out very clearly (see photo
of soil samples). A meter-wide trench was hand excavated down
the middle of the midden to get a cross-section of the central oven
and to locate the oven feature. Unfortunately, the trench missed
the oven, which probably lies just to the west where large boulders
are protruding from the surface. As one might expect for an area
devoted to cooking, few stone tools or flakes were recovered from
the midden excavations, but many food items were, including mussel
shells, bone, and charred plant material.

Probing for "Houses 2 and 3"

Note: Since this exhibit was written, a more recent interpretation indicates the features first thought to be the remains of houses were more likely burned rock middens (see the New Interpretation section).

After the midden excavations, it was realized that
it would take far too much time to adequately cover the site with
test pits in order to find additional "houses." We then began systematically
probing the ground with thin metal rods to locate subsurface stone
features. This was possible only after a rain had softened the ground,
otherwise the sun-baked earth was much too hard for this technique.
This approach was very successful and directly led to the discovery
of possible Houses 2 and 3, both of which were missed by earlier test pits
nearby. "House 4" also was discovered by probing, although before
excavation it was initially thought to be a small cooking hearth.
Bedrock near the surface along the north side of the site hampered
the probing, and "House 5" was discovered more or less accidentally
while excavating the area immediately to the north of "House 4."

"Houses 3, 4, and 5" all lay within the same
excavation block and exhibited similar construction details
what appeared to be triangular hearths, for exampleand were probably built at
the same time. Of interest here is a long, narrow, pile of quartz
cobbles that connects "Houses 3 and 4," put there by the prehistoric
inhabitants for some unknown reason. During the excavation of the
block, evidence of a more-recent occupation was identified above,
or on top of, the floor surfaces of the three presumed houses. One small
cooking hearth and a small, rock-lined pit were apparently built
on and in the shallow soils that developed over the "house" foundations
after the site had been abandoned by the earlier people. A radiocarbon
date from the small hearth places this later occupation some time
between about A.D. 1000 to 1200.

The Llano Uplift Archeological Society enjoyed what
few professional archeologists today have, the luxury of time. While
most government-mandated digs are done under intense time pressures
in advance of bulldozers and development, excavations at Graham-Applegate
were carried out over a three-year period (and still counting).
As a result, few sites in central Texas have been as extensively
excavated as Graham-Applegate. Even so, much still needs to be done
to understand fully what was going on there centuries ago. With
this site, we can learn how prehistoric encampments were organized
and document the kinds of activities that took place there. Much will be learned, too, during the analysis phase
of the project when the artifacts are scrutinized and other special
technical studies carried out. We already know we are dealing with
at least three different periods of occupations of the site, all
by people of the Austin phase culture. The earliest known stay happened
around A.D. 1000 when the rancheria was built. A second visit occurred
probably less than a century later, and includes the hearth and
rock-lined pit above "House 3." A final visit happened sometime in
the 1300s, as revealed by a radiocarbon date from the "hearth
that disappeared."

The Hearth that Disappeared

Although the location of the Graham/Applegate site
is not a well-kept secret, we have been very fortunate that little
vandalism has occurred in the three years of excavations. A few
pieces of equipment were stolen early on, the most valuable being
a large ladder. For some reason, a long metal bar used for measuring
was also taken, even though it would be of little use to anyone.
By far the most unusual thing that disappeared was a stone hearth
that had been uncovered on the eastern edge of the site. The hearth
was discovered during excavation of a test unit along a fence on
the eastern border of the site. Long before the level of the top
of the hearth was reached, a distinct circular area of carbon staining
was encountered. Eventually, a small but well-constructed stone
hearth was uncovered. Several charcoal samples were taken from between
and beneath the hearth stones. Radiocarbon assays on one of the
samples established an age range of between A.D. 1285 and 1405 for
the charred wood, a time which postdates by several centuries that
of the rancheria. Nonetheless, the arrow points around this hearth
were of the Scallorn type. It appears that this hearth represents
a very late occupation by Austin phase people.

Because the hearth was so well preserved, we carefully
reburied it for later archeomagnetic studies which would help us
understand how it was used. Several months later, we reexcavated
the unit only to find that the hearth was goneno trace of
it could be seen. We can only presume that someone dug it up thinking
something valuable was buried beneath it; when nothing was found,
the rocks must have been tossed away and the pit reburied to hide
the vandalism.

Because the hearth had vanished, we were forced to
select another hearth feature for archeomagnetic studies. We chose
another small hearth already uncovered near House 1. Small cores
were removed from the rocks and taken to the Geology Department
at the University of Texas in Austin for testing of the magnetic
properties of the samples.

Archeomagnetic tests can estimate the temperature
at which the rocks were heated and if the rocks were moved after
they cooled. The stones in this hearth had been heated to around
300 degrees C (600 degrees F.), a typical temperature for these
kinds of features, and they had lain undisturbed during the many
centuries since it had been used.

View of site prior to excavation. Little
evidence of prehistoric remains was visible on the surface.
Photo by Chuck Hixson.

Click images to enlarge

Scallorn pointsthe diagnostic point
type of the Austin phase, and the type of arrow point used
by the rancheria folk. Photo by Milton Bell.

Excavation in progress. Metal grid on right
side of unit was used to facilitate mapping of the excavated
surfaces. Photo by Chuck Hixson.

Midden area after brush was cleared off
surface and trench dug through center. Photo by Steve Black.

Excavator digging through rocks of the
midden. Tarps (to the side) cover other units. Photo by Chuck
Hixson.

A meter-wide trench was dug by excavators
using trowels through the center of the midden, in search
for a central oven. Photo by Steve Black.

Area of Possible House 2 before excavation. Photo
by Gene Schaffner.

Possible House 4 showing wall support in foreground.
Photo by Chuck Hixson.

Possible House 4 with quartz accumulation on right.
Photo by Chuck Hixson.